Dunsmore, Ebert Drafted In Seventh Round

It took 233 picks, but Northwestern finally had someone called off the board.

Drake Dunsmore created a ton of memories at Raymond James Stadium during the 2010 Outback Bowl when he caught nine passes for 109 yards and a ridiculous run and catch for a touchdown in Northwestern’s loss to Auburn. Dunsmore might be about to make a lot more memories on the Florida Gulf Coast.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Dunsmore in the seventh round of the NFL Draft on Saturday, the first Northwestern player taken in the three-day event. It did not take long for the next Wildcat to go off the board. The Patriots selected Jeremy Ebert two picks later, adding him to their cavalcade of receivers in a pass-heavy offense.

Both seem to have found really good fits, but, as seventh round picks, have their work cut out for them to make the roster. A little hard work though is not anything Northwestern players shy away from.

Dunsmore completed his fantastic career at Northwestern last year with 45 catches for 522 yards and a career-high six touchdowns as one of Dan Persa’s favorite targets. That included a four-touchdown game against Indiana. And his career was full of spectacular grabs and big plays throughout his career at Northwestern.

The Buccaneers currently have four tight ends on their roster, including Kellen Winslow. However, Dunsmore was projected as a multipositional player and was rated by ESPN as the seventh best player in the draft at fullback. The Buccaneers only have Erik Lorig to play fullback on the roster.

Similarly, Jeremy Ebert had a very consistent career at Northwestern, finishing his career off with 75 receptions for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns, all career bests. Ebert was never particularly flashy with his play, but was always a safe outlet for Mike Kafka and then Dan Persa throughout his career. I am sure Tom Brady will find out the same thing.

Ebert, the only offensive player the Patriots drafted this year, will be fighting for playing time with the eight other receiver on the roster. Seems like Ebert will have his chance to make the roster and fight for playing time.

There will be lots of time to break down how Ebert and Dunsmore will fit in with their new teams in the coming weeks. But today is a time to congratulate Northwestern’s latest pros who get to continue their dreams at the next level.

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Congratulations to Dunsmore and Ebert….both were tremendous for NU. It was a tough day for QBs….the NCAA’s All Time winningest QB went undrafted, the All Time leader in yards, completions and TDs went undrafted, and the All Time most accurate passer went undrafted. The NFL is all about physical measurables.

Cathy Lacombe

The Patriots are loaded at receiver with Welker, Lloyd, Branch, Ochocinco, Stallworth, Gonzalez and Underwood atop the depth chart, so making the roster will be a challenge for Ebert. But the Pats!!! My neck of the woods. We are VERY excited.

KP

I still won’t root for the Patriots to win, but I will cheer for them if Ebert is on the field.

chartmoose

Awesome!

Excited that this gives these guys more time to get ready for their next challenge than the “undrafted free agents”, who figure out much later where they are gonna be trying out. And these guys are smart enough to use that to their advantage…

Go Cats!

hudhaifa

Al Netter………………San Fran 49er

chartmoose

And Greenstein is tweeting that Persa is going to be working out in Tampa Bay next weekend. But not yet signed…

Nice that the delay I was talking about might not happen for these guys.
I thought Jason Wright had written something about “getting the playbook right when training camp starts ” being a disadvantage of being an undrafted free agent….
Maybe that was more focused on last year, when things were funky due to the labor talks…

knickelbein5

This is very off topic, but did anyone else notice the stadium on the front cover of the new book talking about the Paterno/Penn St. sex scandal?

Yes. Saw it last week on the “New Books” table Anchorage’s Barnes & Noble. If one recalls the TV coverage at the time our stadium was the set for 50% of the JoePa shots for weeks on end.

cece

congratulations Drake and Jeremy! hoping for more ‘Cats to get attention via free agency.

Richard

I think Ebert will have a nice NFL career. Guys who are fast (even if it is a sneaky fast) with good hands will be productive in the League. The Pats have a terrific track record of unearthing gems in the late rounds, so that speaks well of Jeremy.

BTW, how many of NE’s WRs are signed for next year?

Db

Most. Could practice squad though and be real option in 13.

Alaskawildcat

Nice to see NU back on the draft board after last year’s hiatus. Also good to see the other deserving seniors getting opportunities. Couldn’t help but wonder whether someone in Tampa Bay’s draft room was there at the stadium watching Dunsmore’s memorable performance in the Outback Bowl and whether that was a factor. The Patriots also got a steal with Ebert on board.

CatInTheHat

As a die-hard Tampa Bay Bucs fan, it is quite gratifying to see our new coaching staff embracing NU and choosing Drake Dunsmore as a draft pick. GO ‘CATS and GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!

http://LakeThePosts DT

Congrats to both Dunsmore and Ebert. Impressive that Dunsmore’s capability and upside got him selected ahead of David Paulson from Oregon who was still on the board. Ebert certainly proved that a good organization “will find” solid talent and system fit… Good luck to both!

Also, will be interesting to follow where some of the NU “Free Agents” land and subsequent progress. All the best to those guys as they pursue “the next level” as well!

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